Chapter 195: United States (10)
Translator: Dreamscribe
“……Subduing a thug?”
A man with a belly reminiscent of Santa Claus took off his sunglasses in disbelief. On the other hand, a foreign woman with short brown hair casually spoke in English with an indifferent tone.
“Yes, it wasn’t staged but real.”
“There’s such a video on Youtube?”
“That’s right.”
The man who had been lying on the beach bench slowly got up. He then recalled the Korean actor Kang Woojin, whom the woman had mentioned. It had been more than half a year ago. He had seen ‘Exorcism’ at a very famous Korean short film festival.
‘In the end, considering the entire film festival, that actor was the best, wasn’t he?’
The Santa-like man had taken an interest in the rookie actor Kang Woojin. Indeed, Kang Woojin had outshone many actors to win the grand prize award at the Mise-en-scène Film Festival. Well, it was an acting award for newcomers, but anyway, Kang Woojin had been the most memorable to him.
‘His acting was… was breathtaking. Especially his facial expressions in that basement scene.’
Although it was a memory from quite some time ago, Kang Woojin’s performance remained vivid in the man’s mind. That’s why, upon returning to Hollywood, he had mentioned Kang Woojin to his CD, telling her to look into this promising actor from Korea.
But that was it.
The world is vast and actors are plentiful. Especially newcomers like Kang Woojin even more so. Thus, the Santa-like man naturally forgot about Kang Woojin, whereas the woman CD, whose job was to monitor actors, reminded him once again.
Then,
-Swish.
The woman in the suit, the CD, passed her cellphone to the pot-bellied man. The cellphone displayed a paused Youtube video, and the Santa-like man used his index finger to play the video.
A running time of about 2 minutes. It was a familiar dashcam video.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Kang Woojin effortlessly subduing an assailant who was attacking a woman with an awl. Even a layman would find it miraculous, but what about the Santa-like man, who had been interested in Woojin? His eyes widened as he replayed the video several times. Eventually, after about 4 repeats, the Santa-like man let out a small exclamation.
“Ha- indeed, it’s an interesting video.”
The short-haired woman smiled.
“Isn’t it?”
“And you’re saying this video is real, not staged?”
“That’s right. Turns out, it was a real incident and was even reported on the news in Korea. Kang Woojin saved a Korean actress, and thanks to that, he’s currently making quite the noise in Korea.”
“If it’s this big of a deal, it would be a sensation here in Hollywood too.”
At that moment,
-Swish.
Two foreign women in bikinis passed by them. Among them, the slightly plump woman whispered upon seeing the man sitting on the beach bench.
“Isn’t that George Mendes?”
“Uh? Who?”
“Over there. Don’t you know? Famous as both an actor and a director.”
“Ah- I see who you mean.”
Soon after, the two women sent a smile filled with greetings towards the Santa-like man.
“Hello-”
In response to their hand wave, the Santa-like man smiled, looking familiar with it.
“Pleasure to meet you, how about we have lunch together later?”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})“No?”
The Santa-like man, who was instantly rejected, watched the women’s backs as they left, denying his reality.
“Haha. They must be embarrassed.”
The woman in the suit, the CD, shook her head.
“They’re not embarrassed, Director. They just don’t like it.”
“Is that so? Well then.”
Despite appearances, the Santa-like man. No, Director George Mendes was quite a famous director in Hollywood. Having made a name for himself as an actor, he suddenly embarked on a journey as a film director after appearing in a few successful projects.
Of course, the beginning was not smooth.
After botching several projects, Director George Mendes finally achieved moderate success with one film. This became the starting point for his next production, ‘Last Kill.’
It was a huge hit.
Following the success of ‘Last Kill,’ its sequel ‘Last Kill 2’ also enjoyed box office success, and Director George Mendes was able to make a name for himself as a director in Hollywood. Currently, he is preparing for ‘Last Kill 3,’ a continuation of the series. As the title suggests, the ‘Last Kill’ series is action-packed.
A retired killer, for some reason, wipes out an entire killer organization.
The work focuses more on action than story, and its advantages are its refreshing development and stylish martial arts. Therefore, ‘martial arts’ is a must, and actors proficient in ‘martial arts’ are greatly needed. This time, for ‘Last Kill 3,’ due to aiming for a world expansion, even actors from Asia had to be included.
While they were actively searching for Asian actors skilled in ‘martial arts’, Kang Woojin’s name came up again.
Of course, the role they were looking for wasn’t of significant importance. It was a supporting or minor role. However, it was not of low importance as it had lines and, most importantly, an action scene with the protagonist.
Anyway, as the women walked away, Director George turned his gaze from them to the cellphone in his hand.
“Hmm-”
His expression suddenly became serious. He then assessed Kang Woojin’s movements in the cellphone.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“He’s trained. And for quite a long time.”
The short-haired woman agreed.
“I think so too. Those movements couldn’t have come by chance.”
“Especially the way he flips the assailant’s hand over is incredible. No superfluous movements, meaning he wasn’t nervous at all. It’s not easy to do this in reality, not in shooting – I like his guts, don’t you?”
Muttering, Director George, who was stroking his plump cheeks, raised his head to meet the CD’s eyes.
“There’s a screen test in a few days, right?”
“Yes. You’re scheduled to see the actors from China.”
“How about we add Kang Woojin to that day.”
What Director George mentioned as a screen test refers to a test that is shot almost like a real shooting. It’s very different from a regular audition. How does the actor look on the monitor? Some are done modestly, but often they go as far as to make it resemble an actual shooting. It’s a test of a scene from a predetermined scenario including the surrounding environment, opposing roles, dialogues, and direction.
It’s almost an essential process in Hollywood.
Well, it’s akin to an actual shooting. Only, the word ‘test’ precedes shooting. Nonetheless, not only the director but many staff members participate. Kang Woojin was mentioned for such a major test.
“Ah- Is the screen test in a few days a bit too sudden?”
At Director George’s question with his arms crossed, the CD shook her head for some reason.
“It’s a good idea, currently Kang Woojin is not in Korea but in LA.”
“Oh- Really? Why?”
“I think he came to film a TV show.”
“I see.”
Director George briefly answered and then said.
“Then call him on that day.”
A few hours later, late lunch, Hermosa Beach in LA.
A famous beach located just below LA International Airport. Thanks to its reputation, despite being close to lunchtime, many foreigners were enjoying their rest at Hermosa Beach. Near Hermosa Beach, a sign in Korean stood out.
-‘Our Dining Table’
Though not very large, it was a noticeable restaurant. It was a Korean food restaurant, after all. Already, many foreigners were lined up in front of the store. That’s right. This was the place that the ‘Our Dining Table’ team was going to run. It was quite a distance from North Hollywood, where they had been operating a food truck, and they had changed their lodging as well.
Already on the third day of operation.
Of course, it was overflowing with customers. The fame from the food truck days and its reputation as a place for delicious food had already spread around. Plus, the power of SNS and the Korean Wave also played a part. Anyway, ‘Our Dining Table’ was incredibly busy, to say the least. There were dozens of customers in line, and the inside of the store was already filled with foreigners.
It had to be several times busier than the food truck days.
Thanks to this, Kang Woojin in the kitchen was.
“More Bulgogi, spicy pork, and kimjaban!!”
“Got it!”
“Ah! Make the spicy pork not too spicy!”
Forget about concepts or anything else; he was just a food-making machine. His colleagues like Hong Hye-yeon or Yeon Baek-kwang also had no time to laugh, just busy with their tasks. An Jong-hak, Hwalin, and Ha Gang-su were busy moving around the hall. Taking orders, serving, clearing places. In the midst of all this, they also had to answer questions.
“Can this TV show be watched somewhere? Netflix?”
“No, it’s not on Netflix.”
This is a hardworking life for top actors who are well-known in Korea. The only ones whose mouths are curving into smiles at this moment are PD Yoon Byung-seon and his crew, watching over ‘Our Dining Table.’ However, the production team of ‘Our Dining Table’ wasn’t just playing around. They had their hands full with interviewing customers, capturing insert shots of nearby attractions, promotions, and more.
The only ones slightly less busy were the staff, other than the cast’s managers.
Once the cast began filming, there wasn’t much for them to do, and as a result, some enjoyed Hermosa Beach nearby.
However, Choi Sung-gun was an exception.
-♬♪
His phone was incessantly ringing. Of course, more than 70% of it was because of Kang Woojin. Thus, Choi Sung-gun settled at a café with an outdoor terrace near the ‘Our Dining Table’ store, continuously on calls.
“Ah- Yes, Director~nim. Ha ha. It’s been a while. Yes, yes. Woojin’s schedule for early next year? Hmm… Let me check and get back to you, okay?”
About an hour passed like that.
Finally putting down his phone, which had quieted down, Choi Sung-gun stretched out long and hard.
“Ugh! I’m dying.”
But then,
-♬♪
His phone rang again. Taking a sip of his coffee, Choi Sung-gun let out a long sigh.
“Ah- I can’t even ignore it.”
After briefly grumbling, he checked the caller. It was bw Entertainment. Soon, Choi Sung-gun nonchalantly answered the call.
“Yes- Hm? Oh. What?!”
His pupils dilated suddenly as he struggled to continue.
“So, so- you’re saying they said that directly? Ah… Alright, let me hang up for now.”
Putting down his phone, Choi Sung-gun had a spellbound look on his face.
‘Miley Cara?’
It was news worth that reaction.
‘Cara wants to collaborate with Kang Woojin’s alter ego?’
Global star Miley Cara, currently in Korea, wanted to appear in ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego.’ Moreover, it was a request from their side first. Choi Sung-gun was already aware that she had visited Korea. However, he hadn’t anticipated this scenario.
“Could it be that she saw that video uploaded on ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’?”
Recalling the cover video of Cara’s song on ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’s video, Choi Sung-gun thought. Well, it had become natural for a Hollywood star to make an appearance on a Korean YouTube channel. Not only Cara but several Hollywood stars had done so.
Cara’s conditions were simple.
They wanted ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ to come up with content suggestions including a section for Cara’s new movie promotion. Their schedule in Korea was until the 18th, and the shooting had to be done within this timeframe.
It was all feasible. Choi Sung-gun immediately started calculating.
‘But we don’t really need to be considerate of them, ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ should also try to get the most out of it. A duet with Woojin, talk and cooking, and even avatar cooking—let’s push it as a comprehensive gift set.’
Then, Choi Sung-gun imagined Miley Cara’s face.
‘If we use Miley Cara as a guest… how significant would the impact be?’
It was Miley Cara, after all. The ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel, already capable of millions of views, would see its impact multiplied several times with Miley Cara’s addition.
Above all,
‘I’m quite looking forward to this matchup.’
Choi Sung-gun was curious about the chemistry between Kang Woojin and Cara. How would Kang Woojin be in front of a Hollywood superstar? But soon, he came to a conclusion.
“Ha ha, I guess it won’t be much different.”
The next morning.
The sun was rising in LA. At this time, Choi Sung-gun, with his hair let down, walked out of a residential lodging not far from the ‘Our Dining Table’ cast’s accommodations.
“Ugh!”
He yawned deeply. In one hand, he held a steaming cup of coffee. With his ponytail undone, making him look almost like he had a bob cut, he took a seat at a small table set up in the front yard.
-Swish.
Even while taking a sip of his coffee, he checked his phone. Due to the time difference, a lot of messages, KakaoTalks, and calls had piled up.
Among them, Choi Sung-gun first checked an article sent by an employee from bw Entertainment.
『[Exclusive] Global superstar ‘Miley Cara’ confirmed as a guest on ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’ channel!』
Fortunately, the Miley Cara matter had progressed without any issues. While the details of the content and filming dates were still under discussion, her appearance itself was confirmed. The Korean media was probably already spreading this news.
“The atmosphere is good-”
Choi Sung-gun smiled contentedly, about to tie his loosened hair.
-♬♪
His phone on the table rang. The caller was an unknown number. But it seemed to be an LA number, not from Korea. Soon, with a puzzled tilt of his head, he answered the call.
Then, a calm female voice came through from the other side. It was in English.
“We are from ‘Winner Movie Pictures’ film company. Are you the CEO of bw Entertainment?”
In an instant, Choi Sung-gun furrowed his brow.
“‘Winner Movie Pictures’ film company??!”
It was quite a big name in Hollywood.
‘Winner Movie Pictures’ film company. Choi Sung-gun was familiar with the name. Among the numerous film companies and production houses scattered across Hollywood, ‘Winner Movie Pictures’ was considered a mid-tier entity. Not only in films, but they had also recently branched out into broadcasting content.
But, their main focus was indeed film production.
A movie title briefly crossed Choi Sung-gun’s mind while holding the phone to his ear.
‘If it’s a recently successful work – it was ‘Last Kill 2,’ right?’
Of course, there were other hits before, but if we’re talking about recent times, it definitely was the ‘Last Kill’ series. Anyway, in a Hollywood filled with formidable film companies and production houses, being mid-tier wasn’t something trivial.
Why would such a place call me?
For now, Choi Sung-gun replied to the woman on the other end of the phone with slightly awkward English.
“Yes, I am the CEO of bw Entertainment. May I ask why you are calling?”
The calm woman’s response was quick.
“We are interested in seeing actor Mr. Kang Woojin from your agency.”
